Safety lifebelt



March 24, 1970 TL. ROSSETTI SAFETY LIFEBELT Fi1ed,-Feb. 28, 1968ATTORNEY United States Patent Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Safetylifebelt composed of an air tube, provided with braces so that it can beput on in the manner of a jacket, surrounding the chest and with itsends intended to be hooked together so as to form a toroidal chamber thecontinuity of which is interrupted at the point of hooking.

The object of the present invention is a safety lifebelt especiallydesigned to assist lifesavers at bathing beaches in rendering aid, in anemergency, to persons in danger of drowning. The safety lifebelt inquestion can also be employed with advantage by underwater swimmers, andthose who are afllicted with malaise or tiredness while swimming can useit to remain afloat until they are rescued.

The lifebelt, according to the invention, is essentially composed of anair tube, provided with braces so that it can be put on in the manner ofa jacket, surrounding the chest and with its ends intended to be hookedtogether so as to form a toroidal chamber; inside the said tube arelodged the bottle or bottles of compressed air for the introduction ofair into the said chamber when an external valve is operated.

The said safety jacket can be worn in its deflated state withouthindrance to the swimmer and can be instantly inflated in case of need,even when the user is at the bottom of the sea, by simply operating theair exhaust valve on the bottle.

Other details and advantages of the invention will appear in the courseof the following description which, together with the attached drawing,shown solely by way of non-limiting example as a means of carrying out apreferred form of realisation, will make clear how the present inventioncan be put into effect, it being understood that the details in both thedescription and the drawing form part of the said invention.

FIG. 1 shows, in a partly sectioned external view, the lifebelt deflatedand open;

FIG. 2 shows, on a larger scale, the valve for the passage of thecompressed air from the bottles to the air tube.

The safety lifebelt, according to the invention, is composed of an airtube 1, provided with a reinforcing band 2 on which, by means of ahorizontal seam 3, are fashioned two horizontal tubular bulges. The endsof the air tube 1 have elastic means 4 for attaching the belt to thethorax, by means of the hooks 5 and their respective eyeholes 6. To theside of the reinforcing band 2 are attached two crossed braces 7 whichallow the deflated safety belt to be put on like a jacket.

Two bottles 8, which intercommunicate by means of a coupling joint 9,are housed inside the air tube 1, one of the said bottles being fittedwith a valve 10 for the input of air at low pressure. The bottles 8 arekept in position by means of clips 11. The valve 10, which is housed inthe tube 1, is situated coaxially to an orifice in the said air tube,the said orifice being normally sealed by an airtight plug 12 and beingused both for the charging of the bottles 8 and for the discharge of theair.

3,501,789 Patented Mar. 24, 1970 One of the two bottles 8 is connectedto a valve A for the passage of the air into the air tube 1. The saidvalve A is substantially composed of a cylindrical tubular body 13closed at one end by a bottom plate 14, the said plate being connectedto one of the bottles and communicating with the same by means of anorifice 15, and fitted with a circular step 16 which serves as a seatingfor the valve type sealing washer 17, the said washer being designed tofit into a corresponding cavity in a cup 18 joined to a stem 19 whichextends beyond the cylinder 13 after having passed through the otherbottom plate 20, on which is attached a support 21 bearing a turnablypivoted balance lever 22, one end of which is engaged on the free end ofthe stem 19, the other end 24 being designed tobe pressed with the palmof the hand when air tube 1 is in a deflected condition for the purposeof opening the valve when it is desired to cause the air to pass fromthe bottles 8 to the air tube 1. In the deflated condition of air tube1, the end 24 can be felt through the sides of air tube 1 and operatedby pressure of the palm of the hand placed on it due to the flexibilityof the material of air tube 1.

A spring 25, which surrounds the stem 19 and is placed between the cup18 and the bottom plate 20, returns the washer 17 and keeps it againstits seating (or circular step) 16, seating 16 being provided withring-shaped grooves 26 for the purpose of improving the sealing betweenthe seating and the washer.

The air compressed by the valve A is conveyed to the air tube 1 throughfour unions 27 formed on the cylindrical body 13, there being fourflexible pipes 28 attached to the said unions for the purpose ofuniformly and immediately distributing the air throughout the whole ofthe inside of the lifebelt, thus enabling the same to be inflated at thebottom of the sea against the pressure exerted by the water itself. Thefour pipes 28 can with advantage be placed in pairs within the tubularbulges separated by the seaming 3 and have, at intervals, orifices 29which communicate with the inside of the air tube and which serve toensure better distribution of the air, and also to keep the said pipesaway from the walls of the tube while air is flowing out of orifices 29into air tube 1, in this way acting as distance pieces and enabling thetube to be inflated at the bottom of the sea in spite of the pressureexerted by the water surrounding the lifebelt due to the greaterpressure of the fluid from the bottles 8.

It will be obvious that the details of the construction as well as theshape and arrangement of the parts can be varied within wide limitswithout in this way going outside the ambit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A lifebelt comprising an air tube adapted to be put around the breastof a wearer, at least two compressed gas bottles in said air tube, and adischarge valve secured to one of said bottles and operable manually toallow the gas to escape from said bottles to the inside of said air tubeto inflate said air tube, said compressed gas bottles beinginterconnected by a small connection tube to allow the gas to pass fromone of said bottles to the other and one of said bottles having afilling valve located in the interior of said air tube withoutprojecting to the outside and said air tube having an orifice locatedopposite said filling valve and normally sealed by a plug removable todeflate said air tube and permit access to said filling valve.

2. A lifebelt as claimed in claim 1, wherein said discharge valveincludes a cylindrical tubular body closed at one end by a bottom plateconnected to one of said gas bottles and communicating therewith througha central orifice in said bottom plate, a central inner projectionprovided on said bottom plate and serving as a valve seat,

said central orifice extending through said central inner projection, acup-shaped valve member adapted to sealingly engage said central innerprojection on said bottom plate, a valve stem extending substantiallycentrally through said cylindrical tubular body and through the endthereof opposite said bottom plate and connected through said cup-shapedvalve member, a spring surrounding said valve stem so as to normallykeep said valve member in engagement with said valve seat, and a leverpivotally mounted on a supporting lug at the end of said cylindricaltubular body opposite said bottom plate, one end of said lever beingpivotally secured to the projecting end of said valve stem and the otherend of said lever being in the form of a handle adapted to be depressedby a finger to allow the gas to escape from said bottles to the interiorof said air tube.

3. A lifebelt as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cylindrical tubularbody is provided with tubular studs adapted to be attached to flexibletubes extending longitudinally through the air tube and provided with aplurality of small holes to ensure a uniform distribution of thecompressed air over the entire length of the air tube.

4. A lifebelt as claimed in claim 2, wherein an elastic washer member isinserted in the cup of the cup-shaped valve member and the end face ofthe valve seat adapted to be engaged thereby is provided with annulargrooves to increase the sealing effect.

5. A lifebelt as claimed in claim 3, wherein the flexible tubes arelocated in bulges formed in the air tube between seams sewn therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,921,659 8/1933 Catarau 93372,118,165 5/1938 Christopher et a1. 9336 X 2,784,426 3/1957 Boyle et a1.9336 X MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner JAMES E. PITTENGER, AssistantExaminer

